The effect of fabric movement on washing performance in a front-loading washer II: under various physical washing conditions

Abstract

Fabric movements in a front-loading washer were observed at various conditions with respect to the type of fabric, the number of sheets, the fabric size and the wash spin speed in order to examine their effect on washing efficiency. Fabric movements were categorized into sliding, falling and rotating, which were expected to be influenced by the balance among the centrifugal force, the frictional force and the gravitational force. With increasing the number of sheets, the fabric size and the wash spin speed, fabrics had a tendency to move a longer distance along the drum wall, and thus the most frequent movement shifted from sliding or falling to rotating. The fabric movement patterns during the washing process that were varied according to the washing conditions had a direct effect on washing efficiency. The complex movement pattern, which showed the movements of sliding, falling and rotating by turns during the washing process, exhibited higher washing efficiency than the single movement pattern that represented only sliding or rotating repeatedly.